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​CHAPTER 1

Tad

I was only fourteen when I was taken away from my Dad. It was impossible for me to get over losing both my parents at the same time. What does a fourteen year old know about anything?   I knew how much Dad wanted to see me, but I was afraid. There are some things that just can’t be forgiven.

 

My name is Kathleen Remington Burns.  Kathleen was Mom’s grandmother’s name, but nobody ever knew me by any name other than the one Dad gave me - Tad.  Believe it or not, Tad was short for Tadpole.  Yes, Tadpole, the baby frog thing. I loved it when I was kid, but when I grew up, I couldn’t get rid of it and I never told anyone where the name came from.

 

My childhood ended early.  I can tell you the exact time and place when it happened. It came with a single word – “guilty.” I saw Dad’s face as he stood alone in front of the judge. For that one moment, he seemed like he was the child and I the adult.  No one before or after the trial, questioned me about what I knew, and I promised myself never to tell. In spite of the verdict, in spite of the storm caused by the trial, Dad’s cadre of attorneys managed to get him set free.

 

I was sent to live with my grandma, but when she died, I ran away. My cousins let me stay with them on the other side of the river as long as I wanted. They never told anyone I was there.

 

Even then, I was careful not to let anyone see me. But I knew sooner or later Dad would find me.